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Research Associate (7398U) - 58965

About Berkeley

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are committed to creating a community that fosters equity of experience and opportunity, and ensures that students, faculty, and staff of all backgrounds feel safe, welcome and included. Our culture of openness, freedom and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty and staff.

The University of California, Berkeley, is one of the world's leading institutions of higher education, distinguished by its combination of internationally recognized academic and research excellence; the transformative opportunity it provides to a large and diverse student body; its public mission and commitment to equity and social justice; and its roots in the California experience, animated by such values as innovation, questioning the status quo, and respect for the environment and nature. Since its founding in 1868, Berkeley has fueled a perpetual renaissance, generating unparalleled intellectual, economic and social value in California, the United States and the world.

We are looking for equity-minded applicants who represent the full diversity of California and who demonstrate a sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and ethnic backgrounds present in our community. When you join the team at Berkeley, you can expect to be part of an inclusive, innovative and equity-focused community that approaches higher education as a matter of social justice that requires broad collaboration among faculty, staff, students and community partners. In deciding whether to apply for a position at Berkeley, you are strongly encouraged to consider whether your values align with our Guiding Values and Principles, our Principles of Community, and our Strategic Plan.

At UC Berkeley, we believe that learning is a fundamental part of working, and our goal is for everyone on the Berkeley campus to feel supported and equipped to realize their full potential. We actively support this by providing all of our staff employees with at least 80 hours (10 days) of paid time per year to engage in professional development activities. To find out more about how you can grow your career at UC Berkeley, visit grow.berkeley.edu.

Departmental Overview

The Possibility Lab at the Goldman School of Public Policy is led by a diverse team of policy researchers and practitioners who partner with government and community to design, pilot, and scale data-driven ideas for the public good.

We're a mix of faculty, full-time staff, and students who value integrity, rigor, curiosity, and communication. Together, we celebrate our wins, learn from our missteps, and help each other, and our partners, find solutions. Through our work, we are prototyping ideas with impact that can move us towards an equitable, sustainable future.

At the Possibility Lab, we believe that communities need to have a voice in the policies that affect them. We are part of a national movement to mobilize rigorous community-engaged, data-driven innovation for the public good. By facilitating on-going partnerships between public sector changemakers and academic research teams, we're able to undertake big questions that cut across traditional boundaries.

The Research Associate position involves working with a diverse team of researchers and practitioners at UC Berkeley's Possibility Lab, led by Professor Amy Lerman, who are passionate about conducting applied, data- driven research. The Possibility Lab team brings together public policy experts who are committed to evidence- based policymaking, and who use quantitative, participatory, and experimental methods to understand the potential of new ideas to improve people's lives. All of our projects are carried out in direct collaboration with government agencies and the communities they serve, as well as non-government organizations, to ensure that data-driven innovation is undertaken in service of the public good.

Projects cover a range of topics, from criminal justice to housing and public health, with a focus on data-driven public policy that is codesigned in collaboration with government and non-profit partners. These partnerships often involve descriptive data analysis of large administrative data, conducting and analyzing surveys, and designing and implementing randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The ideal candidate will have experience working in housing policy or clean energy policy.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: 09/25/2023.

Responsibilities

• Manages relationships with research partners at government and non-government agencies.
• Liaison work includes regular engagement and client management, project management, troubleshooting issues, and being the main point of contact for research partners.
• Assists research partners in requesting administrative data, managing multiple research databases/datasets, using R, Stata, Python, or other statistical software packages on administrative data sets and/or other incoming data.
• Responsible for cleaning data correctly, doing primary analysis, and presenting results in various formats (tables/graphs etc).
• Works with Senior Researchers at the Possibility Lab and faculty research affiliates to design, manage, and implement rigorous research studies, including - but not limited to - randomized control trials (RCTs), survey experiments, and behavioral interventions on a variety of topics including public safety, housing, clean energy, participatory policymaking, and equity.
• For a full list of topics covered by Possibility Lab projects, refer to our website at https://possibilitylab.berkeley.edu/projects/.
• Supports authorship of academic papers, policy reports, and other publications by conducting literature reviews, editing or drafting text, and preparing manuscripts for publication and for presentation to key research partners and stakeholders.
• Other duties as assigned.
• May require some evening and weekend work, and occasional travel.

Required Qualifications

• Ability to take initiative and manage multiple projects with minimal supervision, including strong time management skills and ability to meet tight deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively with diverse groups to achieve results.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to work both independently and as a team member.
• Analytical/problem-solving skills.
• Strong skills in analyzing, researching and synthesizing large amounts of data for preparing sound and relevant proposals/analyses.
• Ability to multi-task with demanding timeframes.
• Bachelor's degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience writing successful grant proposals desired.
• Experience working on public sector challenges desired.
• Master's degree in public policy, economics, statistics, or a related field and/or equivalent training/experience.

Salary & Benefits

This is a 1yr, full-time (40 hours/week), contract appointment, eligible for UC benefits with the possibility of extension with continued funding. This is a monthly paid, exempt position.

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

The budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $78,000.00 - $93,000.00.

How to Apply

• To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.

Other Information

• This is not a visa opportunity.
• This recruitment has 2 openings.
• This position is eligible for up to 50% remote work.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. For more information about your rights as an applicant, please see the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission poster.

For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy, please see the University of California Discrimination, Harassment, and Affirmative Action in the Workplace policy.



To apply, visit https://careerspub.universityofcalifornia.edu/psp/ucb/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_APP_SCHJOB.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST&Action=U&FOCUS=Applicant&SiteId=21&JobOpeningId=58965&PostingSeq=1